In this blog post Jo Perrin, Safeguarding Adviser at Services For Education will be revisiting principles of online safety for pupils and families and safer working practices for staff.

If you have any concerns or need any advice regarding safeguarding and the topics we are covering, please contact us at hello@servicesforeducation.co.uk and someone will get back to you.

Usually if we were implementing a new way of working in any organisation, we’d spend a long time planning and preparing.

We’d consider all the alternatives out there before committing to using one resource above another and we’d probably make a list of advantages and disadvantages.

That makes sense. 

But in the current unusual situation that the Covid pandemic created we didn’t always have the luxury of time for considerate planning and preparations, we have had to make decisions quickly and our usual processes were significantly shortened.

We are all nowadays still working online in ways that we hadn’t really embraced prior to the pandemic – and whilst that brings incredible advantages, it also brought some new challenges to light.

It doesn’t seem that the use of blended learning will go away, so it is always important to find time to revisit principles of online safety for children and their families but also with your staff.

There will probably (hopefully!) be nothing here that you haven’t considered at some time in the past – the key is to revisit these messages regularly in order to keep everyone safe.

Here are five online safety considerations for pupils and parents:

1. Revisit online safety messages

Revisit online safety messages you have sent home previously – and stress their heightened importance at the moment.

Think about the messages around content, contact and conduct, for example:

• What are you looking at?
• What is the source organisation?
• Is it trusted/ unbiased?
• Who are you talking to online?
• How can you be sure they are who they say they are?
• Do you know them/ their organisation in real life?
• Stress that we all have a digital footprint, certain actions are bullying even if not face-to-face.

Make any message “age and stage appropriate” but also include a parallel message for parents.

2. Cover advertising

Explicitly talk about advertising messages online – how companies pay for advertising space and that doesn’t necessarily mean they are a great product just that they are prepared to pay.

As our worlds physically shrank during the pandemic, our online world widened and is seemingly staying that way – unscrupulous companies and scammers are taking advantage of their new, often digitally naïve, audience.

3. Discuss online “etiquette”

Discuss with parents and pupils ideas about online etiquette – for example taking screenshots of people needs to happen only if the person has consented to this – in the same way we should ask someone in real life if we can take their photo.

4. Check resources

During the period of Covid when many children were not physically being in educated in a school building, parents were being bombarded with ideas of how to best homeschool their child – resources sent from school settings, but also the rise in “celebrity teachers”. Some of this has continued to this day.

Have a look yourself at what some of these brands were and still are giving out (usually for free) and suggest resources that are most in line with the curriculum and messages of your school in your newsletter for example.

Also, help parents to be realistic in the amount and type of work that can be completed at home as children are now completing a full “week’s work” in schools, but some parents are continuing to “suggest tasks” for children outside of your curriculum.

5. Discuss non-educational activities like gaming / films / TV

Children inevitably be spending more time online than adults might prefer, as they are of a generation that doesn’t distinguish between online and “in real life” activity – either on gaming consoles, watching videos online or on TV/film streaming services.

It’s useful to have a discussion with parents and children about this – use your website and any other communications you have in place.

For example you could direct parents to spend time with their children looking at the British Board of Film Classification’s children’s website – www.cbbfc.co.uk .

It has activities for children to understand film age ratings and also information for adults around viewing films safely online.

It also never hurts to re-remind parents of how to access parental controls to limit access to certain content on different online platforms.

Always direct them to their Internet Service Provider for more information if they are not sure and remind them they can then regain control by deciding if they want films with certain ratings to be password protected and you can block certain websites completely.

On the other side of the coin, you need to protect yourself if you are still delivering any online live sessions – it is the season for schools to close due to adverse weather after all.

Here are some considerations for you:

6. Video conferencing

If you are delivering “online lessons” – what medium are you using?

If using a video conferencing facility (and this isn’t the only possibility as it probably has the highest safeguarding risks), has everyone (staff, pupils, parents) consented to their images being shared?

Is any background neutral (for example no family photos or pictures with particularly strong beliefs or viewpoints shared) and is clothing worn still “professional”?

Who else is in in the household – are they out of view and can’t be heard in the background?

Is someone around at all times whilst you communicate with a child?

7. Professional Accounts

Reiterate the message that any communication has to go through a school account (especially for emails) – not a personal one, even if a personal one is “easier” to use on a phone etc.

If it’s a phone call – then the home phone number needs to be blocked before making a call (dial 141 before the number).

It seems obvious but when working out of a spare room at home, the distinction between professional life and personal life can easily become blurred.

8. Safeguarding Training

Have you shared safeguarding training with staff recently?

This might not be the time of year you usually do any safeguarding updates but it is really important that staff are regularly reminded of key concepts, signs of abuse and neglect and reporting procedures.

Also have a big focus on the requirements of your staff code of conduct/behaviour policy.  Send it out again, require staff to reply to say they’ve read it and understand it and you might consider some kind of quiz or activity to check understanding.

This isn’t just focussed on classroom based staff so include any cleaning or catering staff still on site and any office staff.

For teaching staff, reminding them of the Teaching Standards’ requirements to uphold public trust in the profession is important, as there is a direct link with their own online behaviour.

If you think your staff could do with an update, we have an online safeguarding course that could be the right solution for this.

Summary

It is always a good time to revisit safeguarding messages with particular emphasis on online safety.

There are plenty of resources out there to aid you and your families to understand the risks. You can find some great ones here.

If you’d like any more advice, please do email us at hello@servicesforeducation.co.uk – we are here to help.

In the meantime, these blogs might be of interest:

• 7 Important Considerations for Teachers Setting Work for Children to Complete at Home
• 16 Interactive Online Resources For Primary School Teachers Setting Work For Pupils
• 4 Ways to Stay Mindful Whilst Working from Home

We are also still running our DSL two day courses and updates, so if yours is due, sign up now.

Jo Perrin - Adviser, Services For Education

Jo Perrin is a seasoned Education Adviser with a strong background in safeguarding. She has held key roles as a Designated Safeguarding Lead and pastoral lead in the education sector. Facilitating training to enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals working directly with children and young people is her passion.

With a wealth of experience in teaching PSHE and expertise in childhood trauma from her time as a foster carer, Jo is dedicated to supporting organisations that work with children and vulnerable adults on safeguarding issues. She is actively involved in professional safeguarding groups in the West Midlands and is currently collaborating on a research project with colleagues from the University of Birmingham and the NHS focusing on FGM awareness within communities. Jo’s has worked as a West Midlands' Adviser for national PSHE resources, presented at the Sex Education Forum National Members' Event and authored an advertorial for PSM magazine and an article for SEND magazine.

Jo's expertise extends to training on topics such as Safer Recruitment and Mental Health at Work. She is also a facilitator for the nationally recognised NPQSL qualification, supporting senior leaders in education. Her contributions to publications and development of resources for RSE provision have been well-received by schools nationally and internationally.

With her extensive experience and dedication to professional development, Jo Perrin is a highly respected figure in the field of education. Her guidance on safeguarding, mental health awareness, personal development, and relationships education is highly valued within the industry.